Doing enterprise architecture

Back at the TOGAF conference, something that really seemed to be missing was any real description of doing enterprise architecture – in particular, what changes and needs to change in EA practice at each stage of architecture maturity, and how each layer builds upon the next.

It’s barely mentioned in the TOGAF 9 specification, either: Chapter 51 ‘Architecture Maturity Models’ describes the overall notion of architecture-maturity, but doesn’t explain how that affects EA practice. I’ve seen a few references elsewhere, such as in Dana Bredemeyer‘s work, and in this article from the CIO Magazine website, but that’s been about it. Most of those focus on how to identify the maturity-level – not what you have to do to get there. And, of course, almost every description is only about IT-architecture – not the full scope of real whole-of-enterprise architecture.

So yes, another topic for yet another book. 🙂 Which, perhaps unsurprisingly, will be titled Doing Enterprise Architecture: process and practice in the real enterprise. Aim is to get it ready in time for the next TOGAF conference in London, in late April, but in the meantime I’ve put up the cover-picture and blurb on the Tetradian Books website. A first-cut preview should be up on the site within a couple of weeks, I’d hope – more later on that as the work progresses.